Display counter



y i6, 1939. R wHlTSETT DISPLAY COUNTER Filed April 29, 1958 6 /-WWPMW Patented Marle, 1939 2,158,447

UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE DISPLAY COUNTER Robert wnitsett, netrcit, Michi; assignmtc The Gratiot Fixture at Supply Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application April 29, 1938, Serial No. 205,041 7 Claims. (Cl. 62-89.5)

'I'he invention relates to a display counter and sign, including a novel means of mounting the more particularly to that type of counter which coil, as will be set forth in the following deis provided with refrigerating coils. scription and claims.

Recently with the development of mechanical Certain modifications of the invention are ilf, refrigeration, display counters for meats and lustrated for purposes of exemplication in the 5 other perishable goods have been equipped with following drawing: cooling coils which are furnished with a re- Fig. l illustrates a plan VieW f a horizontal frigerant from a compressor which is located section of a display Counter. either in the base of the counter or on the floor Figs. 2 and 3 are Vertical SectiOnS 0f the counter,

m below. These coils are located at the top and Fig. 2 taken 0n lines 2-2 0f Fig. 1. ShOWinB the l0 bottom of the counter and the bottom coils are movable coil in various positions. then usually covered with removable porcelain Fig. 4 iS a detail CIOSS SectiOn 0f a movable pipe trays upon which the perishable goods are disjoint Which maybe used with the invention. played. Drip pans have been provided below Fig. is a diagrammatic plan view of a modithe coils to catch the condensate and other lied ferm cf ccil mcunting. l refuse which falls through the coils. Much dif- The display Counter illustrated herein is conculty has been experienced in cleaning these StIucted in the Same general manner aS cooling drip pans or the panels upon which they rest; display counters of standard construction. Consince, in order to do so, it has been necessary Sefluentlyy the details 0f the Construction of the zo to work through or under the ooi1s with long counter itself will not be dwelt upon. The counter 2o brushes provided therefor. This hasproved un- Consists essentially 0f a base 6, a front Wall 1.a satisfactory not only because such a cleaning optOp 8. a SlOping Window 9 between the front Wall eration is time consuming but, it is also almost 'l and the tcp. and a back l0 between the base impossible to provide a sanitary case with such and the tOp- The back iS pIOVided With clcSule an arrangement. Furthermore, it is usually conmembers ll and |2- EndS i3 and i4 are provided 25 sidered good practice t0 paint, these cases, once fOr the cabinet. Each 0f the Walls 0f the cabinet 01 twice a yeal` and in order t0 d0 thisy it has are suitably insulated against heat in accordance been necessary t0 turn Off the refrigerating com- With Well kllOWrl constructions and the WildOWS pressors, drain the coils, and disconnect them to likewise. are plOVided With dcuble panes t0 fur- :m permit removal, This means an interruption of ther insulate the cabinet. Between the front 3o servico which is undosiramo, wall 'l and the back 'I0 is located a transverse In some cases a movable collecting pan has Collecting pan l5 Which iS mounted at a Slight been utilized, it being S0 arranged that the c01- arlgle t0 the horizontal S0 that il'. Will drain readily. lecting pan could be lowered into the lower por- Extending longitudinally throughout the cabition of the case to be cleaned. This is impossible net and abOVe the Collecting pan l5 iS a cOll I6 35 if a permanent partition is desired between the Whichy in the present mOdioatiOn, is formed of upper and lower portions of the case and the rea Series 0f lcngitudinally extending parallel oonmovable pan also requires that all the objects be duit members, looped at the ends so that a subremoved from the lower portion before the pan Stantially rectangular area iS enclosed by the lo can be cleaned. entire coil (Fig. 1). An outlet end of the coil is 40 The present, invention contemplates a display indicated at l1 and arl inlet elld iS indicated al'. counter which is so designed that the above disi3. Each 0f the ccndutS making up the coil advantages have been removed, extend through transverse bars I9 and 20 which It is an object of the present invention to are hinged to the front wall 'l at 2| and which .4.3 providea cooling ooil for a display counter which rest. at the other ends, on a portion of the is so connected to the supply conduits of the back |0acompressor that the coil may be moved to a posi- At the end i3 0f Fig- 1 are ShOWn a Supply pipe tion exposing the bottom of the display case so 22 and a return pipe 23- At the ends 0f these that it may be readily cleaned or painted, thereby pipes and directly adjacent the coil I6 are mountinsuring a sanitary case at all times. ed fluid-tight, pivoted joints 24. Between these 50 A further object of the invention is to provide joints 24 and the openings l1 and I8 of the coil a coil which may be moved without the necessity are flexible connecting hoses 25 and 26. A modi of being disconnected. cation of the joint 24 is shown in Fig. 4.

Other objectsand features of the invention The duid-tight joint is provided by forming 5:, have to do with details of construction and deilanges 21 on each of the joining or abutting pipe 55 ends. Nuts 28 are provided with a threaded end which engages an intermediate coupling piece 29. Packing washers 30 are placed between the nuts 28 and the ang 21. Other types of joints may, of course, be used, as long as they permit the movement of the coil.

It will be seen that if the coil I6 is in its normal position, as shown in lig. 2, access may be had to the collecting pan or drip pan I5 only through the various conduits making up the coil I6. I have shown and, with the flexible connections between the coil and the supply and return pipes 22 and 23, it is possible to lift the coil I6 to the position shown in Fig. 3 where it is substantially parallel with the sloping window. In this position the coil may be fastened by a hook 3| and it will be seen that the collecting pan I5 may now be easily cleaned or painted as desired.

While I have shown only a collecting pan l5.

between the upper and lower storage chambers of the display case, it is quite possible that a permanent partition might be located directly beneath the collecting pan l5 in case the lower portion oi' the display counter is not to be cooled.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a slightly modified form of coil in which the inlet and outlet ends of the coil also furnish the pivotal support for the front edge. In this modification the supply pipe 22 is located in one end of the counter and the return pipe 23 is located at the other end. Pivoted joints 24 are located at the ends of these supply pipes on a horizontal axis. 'I'he inlet end o1' the coil I6 is brought down along the end of the coil as at 32 and is turned so that it enters the pivoted joint 24 on a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the case. This axis is in alignment with the axis of the pivotal joint 24 at the other end of the'case so that the front edge of the coil is supported bythe pipes 22 and 23 and the entire frame formed by the coil may be pivoted on the joints 24. With this modification `it is not necessary to provide the flexible hoses 25 and 26 as in Fig. 1.

In case a cooling coil is also located in the top oi the case it is within the contemplation of the present invention to have the top coil, as well as the lower coil, connected to the same supply and return pipes as long as the connections of the lower coil are such that it may be moved as described. It will be seen that if an expansion valve is used in connection with a thermal bulb mounted on the coil, a flexible connection may be provided therefor.

What Iblaim is:

l. In a refrigeration display counter, a casing having a base, a vertical Yfront wall, a top, a sloping front windowbetween the front wall and top, a rear wall extending between the base and top and having lower and upper openings and closures therefor, a transverse substantially horizontal cooling coil in said casing having inlet and outlet openings, supply and return pipes for refrigerating fluid located in said casing, means for movably mounting said coil in said casing,

and flexible means connecting said coil openings` respectively to said supply and return pipes f whereby said coil may be moved from its trans;V

verse, substantially horizontal position to an inclined position substantially parallel with said sloping front window. A

2. In a refrigeration display counter, a casing having a base. a top, a front wall and rear wall extending between thebase and the top, the rear wall having openings and closures therefor, a

However, with the pivoted mounting which l cooling coil in said` casing for receiving meats and the like, said coil comprising a series of conduits for circulating a cooling medium, said coil having inlet and outlet openings, supply and return pipes for cooling medium, means for movably mounting said coil in said casing, and means joining said inlet and outlet openings respectively with said supply and return pipes whereby said coil may be moved from a normal operative position to permit cleaning of said case beneath said coil.

3. In a refrigerating cabinet, a substantially yfiat cooling coil having inlet and outlet openings and adapted to serve as a support for food products to be stored in said cabinet, supply and return pipes for a cooling medium, means for movably mounting said coil in a substantially horizontal position between walls of said cabinet, and exible joining means connecting said inlet and outlet openings respectively with said supply and return pipes whereby said coil may be moved within said cabinet to permit cleaning thereunder.

4. In a refrigerating cabinet, a, substantially flat cooling coil having inlet and outlet openings kand adapted to serve as a support for food products to be stored in said cabinet, supply and return pipes for a cooling medium, means for movably mounting said coil in a substantially hori- .zontal position between walls of said cabinet,

and means joining said inlet and outlet openings respectively with said supply and return pipes comprising a pivoted, iiuid tight joint and a length of iiexible tubing whereby said coil may be moved within said cabinet to permit cleaning thereunder.

5. In a display counter, a casing having a base, a vertical front wall, a sloping front window between the front wall and top, a rear wall extending between the base and top and having lower and upper openings and closures therefor, a transverse cooling coil in said casing for receiving meats and the like, said coil being formed of a series of substantially parallel conduits and having inlet and outlet openings, said coil being normally disposed in a position substantially between said front wall and saidrear wall, means for pivotally connecting the front portion of said coil to said front wall, a collecting pan disposed below said coil when in its normal position, supply and return conduits for a cooling medium, and means for connecting said openings of said coil respectively to said supply and return conduits comprising flexible coupling means where-v by said coil may be moved from its normal position to an inclined position substantially parallel with said sloping window to permit access to said collecting pan beneath said coil.

6. In a display counter, a casing having a base, a top, a front wall and rear wall extending between said base and top, the rear wall having openings and closures therefor, a transverse cooling coil in said casing formed of a series of conduits, said coil being normally disposed in a position substantially between said front wall f and said rear wall, inlet and outlet pipes on said 5 extending between said base and top,

said coil and extending in substantial alignment position to permit access to the portion of sai casing normally below said coil.

'1. In a display counter, a casing having a base.

a top, end walls and a front wall and rear wall wall having openings and closures therefor, a

transverse cooling coil in said casing formed of a series of conduits arranged to include a substantially rectangular area within said casing o and normally disposed in a position substantially between said front wall and said rear wall, a collecting pan disposed below said coil in normal position, and conduits connected to each end o! the rear by one edge of said coil is pivotally supported thereon such that said coil may be pivoted from its normal position to permit access to the por- 10 tion of said casing normally below said coil.

ROBERT WHITSETI. 

